by In their first game of the 2024 college football season, Ohio State defeated Akron 52-6. Though it might not be reflected in the final score, the Buckeyes did have some trouble getting going early on. Their first drive ended in a punt, after star freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith dropped the first pass thrown his way and then subsequently false started on the very next play.
The Zips capitalized on Ohio State’s miscues on their first drive, marching down the field and converting a field goal to open the scoring and take the lead. That lead was short-lived, however, as Ohio State transfer quarterback Will Howard took control of the offense, taking his Buckeyes into Akron territory and finding Smith in the end zone for both of their first touchdowns as Ohio State players.
The Buckeye defense held Akron to a punt one drive later, but at the end of the first quarter, the Ohio State offense stalled out once again as new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly decided to go for it on 4th & 5 on Akron’s 25 yard line and Howard’s pass fell incomplete to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Despite only holding a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter, Ohio State showed no panic, and was rewarded with an interception by cornerback Denzel Burke two plays into the second quarter. After a Buckeye field goal and an Akron punt, Howard found Smith in the end zone once again to go up 17-3. With some stout defense, that remained the score going into halftime.
Luckily for Head Coach Ryan Day and the rest of the Buckeyes, both the offense and defense really clicked to start the second half. In their first offensive drive, Howard found Smith for 45 yards to take them down to the Akron two-yard line, where running back Quinshon Judkins punched it in for six.
Just 18 seconds later, edge rusher Caden Curry forced a fumble on Akron quarterback Tahj Bullock which safety Lathan Ransom recovered and took 27 yards for another Ohio State touchdown. With the score 31-3, the Buckeyes took out most of their defensive starters and Akron scored a field goal on the next drive. Then, to end the quarter, Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson’s rushing attack took Ohio State down the field, where freshman James Peoples rushed in for a four-yard score.
In the fourth quarter, Howard’s final drive before he was rested ended in a 34 yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate to make the score 45-6. Finally, linebacker Gabe Powers picked off backup quarterback Brayden Roggow’s pass and took it to the house.
With many eyes on him, Howard performed well in his Buckeye debut, going 17/28 with 228 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Henderson was the team’s leading rusher with eight carries for 65 yards. Judkins didn’t finish far behind him with 12 carries, 55 yards, and a touchdown. Smith was the breakout star in his first collegiate game, catching six passes for 92 yards with the two touchdowns. Tate had 58 yards and a touchdown, and Egbuka put in 51 yards as well.
Defensively, the Buckeyes looked very stout, as they should look against an opponent like Akron. Ransom led the team in tackles along with his fumble recovery for a touchdown and edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau led the defensive front with 1.5 sacks. C.J. Hicks and Tyleik Williams each had a sack as well, and Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Mitchell Melton, and Powers had a half of a sack each. Akron quarterback Ben Finley missed most of the game with head and rib injuries, but was thoroughly flustered by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ group when he was out there.
Next week, Ohio State will face a similar opponent in Western Michigan, but will hope for a faster start as they prepare for conference play.
